What we're looking at
J.D. Hayworth accuses Sen. John McCain of lying in the past for political gain and accuses him of lying again during this Senate campaign. In the commercial, Hayworth asserts that McCain has supported extending Social Security and Medicare benefits to illegal immigrants.

The ad
A 30-second video titled "I Chose Lying."

Summary of the ad
The ad features grainy, black-and-white images of McCain, who repeatedly says, "I chose lying," as the narrator outlines McCain's positions on controversial topics.

Analysis
Hayworth's striking TV spot repeats a line -- "I chose lying" -- delivered in McCain's own voice. In his 2002 memoir, "Worth the Fighting For," McCain laments that, during the 2000 GOP presidential primary in South Carolina, he allowed campaign aides to convince him to back off criticism of the state's continued flying of the Confederate flag, a touchy issue with conservative voters in the Southern state. At the time, McCain was locked in fierce political combat against eventual victor George W. Bush.

Given the choice between "lying or losing," McCain wrote in the book, "I chose lying."

The commercial uses the line, delivered in McCain's own voice, from the audio recording of the senator's memoir.

"Now McCain lies again," the Hayworth ad's announcer says.

Brian Rogers, a McCain campaign spokesman, said the ad is "blatantly false."

A check of the facts leads to the same conclusion:

McCain co-sponsored a comprehensive immigration-reform bill that included a pathway to citizenship that would have required a series of steps, including paying fines and back taxes, so that some undocumented immigrants could legalize their status in the country. But the bill did not provide Social Security or Medicare benefits for illegal immigrants.

The Hayworth ad cites a May 18, 2006, Senate vote to document its claim. The 50-49 vote was on a motion to table an amendment offered by Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., that would have ensured that any immigrants who upgraded their status under the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 would not be able to receive Social Security benefits based on their illegal activity. The amendment's stated purpose was "to reduce document fraud, prevent identity theft and preserve the integrity of the Social Security system." McCain voted to shelve the amendment.

Regardless, the underlying bill, which passed the Senate but died in the House, did not give Social Security or Medicare benefits to illegal immigrants. McCain's vote to table Ensign's amendment doesn't constitute support for that idea, either.

The tactic of accusing candidates who favor comprehensive immigration reform of supporting Social Security for illegal immigrants is not new. In his final 2006 House race, Hayworth made the very same accusation against Democratic challenger Harry Mitchell. Hayworth lost his seat.

What we're looking at
State Rep. Rae Waters, D-Ahwatukee Foothills, says she is the only candidate in her race to have experience in education to do the job of state representative.

The ad
Campaign mailer.

Summary of the ad
The mailer touts Water's educational background. It states: "Rae Waters is the only one with the education experience to get the job done!"

Analysis
In a phone conversation with AZ Fact Check, Waters reiterated her statement that she is the "only one" to have worked in education.

She is in her 12th year on the Kyrene Elementary School District governing board and has served on the boards of various educational associations and groups.

She faces two Republican opponents in the race.

Bob Robson, one of her Republican opponents, also has educational experience. He is in his second semester as a professor at Arizona State University's School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, teaching classes in law-enforcement technology and criminal investigation.

Robson told AZ Fact Check that he also worked at Rio Salado College for seven years in the 1980s. Rio Salado College could not confirm his employment; it does not have records on any of its employees before 1999.

In a follow-up interview, Waters backed off her earlier statement and said she intended to say she is the only candidate with K-12 education experience.

"That would be the university system (Robson works for), not the K-12 system, so maybe I wasn't quite as specific as I needed to be," Waters said.

The bottom line: Waters is not the only candidate in her race who has educational experience. Robson also is employed by an educational institution.

What we're looking atUpdated: A Goodyear blogger said that Councilman William "Bill" Stipp will receive $1.6 million in retirement over his lifetime. The blogger also said the Police and Fire Public Safety Personnel Retirement Board in Goodyear is allowed by state law to review the case again.

The ad
Campaign mailer.

Summary of the ad
The mailer touts Water's educational background. It states: "Rae Waters is the only one with the education experience to get the job done!"

The comment
(Stipp) "was then awarded an estimated $1.6 million retirement package in 2009 after only eight years on the job. All that the local board has to do is decide that they should review the case again based upon what knowledge it has of the beneficiary's current medical condition ... the employee in question is currently a member of the Goodyear Retirement Board that would ask for the review."

The forum
A blog posted on Feb. 22 on Howardsgoodyearblog.wordpress.com.

Analysis
The total amount of payments Stipp, who was elected to the Goodyear City Council in May and was sworn in on June 13, will receive over a lifetime will be about $1.6 million when you factor in age.

According to records obtained by The Arizona Republic, Stipp receives $4,031.74 in monthly accidental-disability payments. He was awarded the disability payment in 2009, due to a spinal injury he received while on duty as a battalion chief for the Goodyear Fire Department. An injury report states that Stipp was injured in 2006 when a gate fell on him causing damage to his back and knee.

An independent medical report from the Center for Spinal Disorders reported that Stipp "has a physical impairment that totally and permanently prevents him from performing a reasonable range of duties within his job description."

In the blog, Brodbeck assumes that Stipp began collecting retirement pay at the age of 44. Assuming Stipp collects $48,380.88 annual retirement and multiplying the amount for the next 34 years, by the time he turns 78, Stipp will collect about $1.6 million in retirement pay. Stipp's retirement benefits are for life.

In the blog, Brodbeck insinuated that the Police and Fire Public Safety Personnel Retirement Board in Goodyear won't review the matter again because Stipp is a member of the board.

Members are appointed to four-year terms by the Goodyear City Council. Stipp was appointed to the public-safety retirement board on June 28, 2010.

According to Arizona Revised Statutes, a final decision made by the board "that is not inconsistent with the provisions of the plan and the Internal Revenue Code shall be final, conclusive and binding on the claimant and the plan." State law allows local public-safety retirement boards to determine eligibility, time of payments, type of benefits and procedures that claimants must follow when applying for retirement.

"We (the city) don't have decision-making power. We have to follow the statute," said Jeanni Ruddy, Goodyear human-resources manager.

State law does say a local retirement board can, at its discretion, request an independent medical re-evaluation to determine whether a recipient is still eligible for accidental-disability payments.

The Goodyear retirement board decided in 2009, based on the independent medical report, that Stipp's disability was permanent and did not need to be re-evaluated.

Bottom line: Stipp could receive the $1.6 million if he lives past 78. And a local retirement board can request an independent medical re-evaluation.

What we're looking at
Freelance columnist Linda Turley-Hansen claimed Arizona is ranked second for job growth nationally, an improvement from 49th in the nation when the recession began.

The ad
Campaign mailer.

Summary of the ad
The mailer touts Water's educational background. It states: "Rae Waters is the only one with the education experience to get the job done!"

The comment
"You are unhappy with a strong, legislative leader who took Arizona out of the red and into the black in a time the nation is floundering economically; a leader whose state is currently Number 2 in job growth, from Number 49 in the nation when the recession began?"

The forum
Turley-Hansen made the claim in her column posted in various blogs, including the Sonoran Alliance and several "tea party" blogs, and on Oct. 28, 2011, on eastvalleytribune.com. The column also appeared in the Gilbert Republic on Nov. 2, 2011.

Analysis
Turley-Hansen is a former evening news anchor for Channel 5 (KPHO) and former political event planner for members of Congress, including Sen. John McCain. She also has contributed columns to The Arizona Republic.

In a column supporting then-Senate President Russell Pearce during the recall election, she said Pearce was responsible for Arizona's current ranking as second in job growth nationally. She cited the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the date of the news release in her column.

The labor bureau's monthly release looked at seasonally adjusted job growth in each state. One way the agency gauges growth is a month-to-month comparison of jobs added.

According to the news release, Arizona added 15,400 jobs in August, which was a 0.6 percent increase in job growth compared with the month before.

That increase was the second-largest monthly percentage increase in the nation. That was the most month-to-month job growth the state had seen all year, according to the bureau.

In June and July, the state saw a small decline in jobs.

In September, Arizona added 10,400 jobs, which was increase of 0.4 percent. That increase ranked Arizona sixth nationally. The agency sent out the September numbers a few days before Turley-Hansen's column was posted on several media outlets.

During 2008 and 2009, Arizona consistently lost jobs or didn't grow on a monthly basis.

The national recession officially began in December 2007 and during that month, Arizona ranked 33rd in job growth, said William Jolley, a research analyst for Elliot D. Pollack & Co. The company specializes in economic-development analysis and ranks state job growth using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The company ranked Arizona 46th in job growth in the nation during 2008. Arizona was ranked 49th for annual job growth during 2009 and 2010, according to company data.

Todd Johnson, an economist for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, said Arizona is experiencing fewer months this year with job losses than many states, but it is still average in job creation in comparison to many other states.

"Regarding employment growth trends, Arizona has experienced a similar labor market to most other states," Johnson said.

Bottom line: At the beginning of the recession in December 2007, Arizona ranked 33rd in monthly job growth. Arizona did not rank 49th until September 2008. Arizona did rank second nationally for job growth in August, however Linda Turley-Hansen did not identify the job growth as a month-to-month comparison. In fact, Arizona has not been leading the nation in job growth this year.

What we're looking at
GOP congressional candidate Kirk Adams said former Republican congressman Matt Salmon, who is running against him in District 5, donated to the 2010 congressional campaigns of Democratic U.S. Reps. Ed Pastor of Arizona and Joe Baca of California.

The ad
Campaign mailer.

Summary of the ad
The mailer touts Water's educational background. It states: "Rae Waters is the only one with the education experience to get the job done!"

The comment
"Salmon personally contributed to liberals like Ed Pastor and Joe Baca as recently as the 2010 election."

The forum
News release from Kirk Adams' campaign published on conservative political blog sonoranalliance.com.

Analysis
A Federal Election Commission report shows that in June 2009, Salmon gave $500 to the congressional campaign of Rep. Ed Pastor, D-Ariz. In October, Salmon contributed $500 to the campaign of Rep. Joe Baca, D-Calif., according to an FEC report.

Salmon made these contributions when he was employed as a lobbyist with Policy Impact Communications, a firm whose clients have included the Arizona Alzheimer's Research Consortium and the city of El Mirage, according to the FEC report.

A lobbying disclosure search with the House of Representatives Office of the Clerk lists Salmon, a former congressman and Arizona state senator, as a lobbyist with Policy Impact Communications.

Pastor, who was elected to Congress in 1991, is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, regarded as the House's liberal caucus. Baca, who was elected to Congress in 1999, is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a coalition of moderate to conservative Democrats who are "deeply committed to the financial stability and national security of the United States and dedicated to finding bipartisan solutions to the nation's biggest challenges," according to the group's website.

The bottom line: Salmon contributed to Democratic Reps. Baca's and Pastor's 2010 campaigns. It is accurate to describe Pastor as a liberal but not correct to describe Baca as such.

What we're looking at
State Rep. Terri Proud, R-Tucson, attributed a quote to Susan B. Anthony in a news release advocating for anti-abortion policies.

The ad
Campaign mailer.

Summary of the ad
The mailer touts Water's educational background. It states: "Rae Waters is the only one with the education experience to get the job done!"

The comment
Proud quoted Susan B. Anthony as saying, "When a woman destroys the life of her unborn child, it is a sign that, by education or circumstances, she has been greatly wronged."

The forum
Proud's news release issued March 28.

Analysis
The quote appeared in Proud's news release titled "War on Women." In the release, Proud uses quotes that she attributes to early feminists Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton to support arguments against abortion.

Proud did not return multiple phone calls from AZ Fact Check seeking the source of the quote.

Controversy surrounds Anthony's stance on abortion, and it's unclear whether she ever wrote about the subject, Arizona State University history professor Pamela Stewart said.

Although several websites attribute the quote to Anthony, the quote comes from a different writer, who wrote an article in Anthony's feminist newspaper The Revolution in September 1869, according to Rutgers University history professor Ann Gordon.

Mattie Brinkerhoff, a women's rights lecturer and friend of Anthony's, wrote the article.

The full quote, as it appears in the article: "When a man steals to satisfy hunger, we may safely conclude that there is something wrong in society -- so when a woman destroys the life of her unborn child, it is an evidence that either by education or circumstances she has been greatly wronged."

Gordon, who has studied the writings of Anthony and other early feminists for more than 30 years, said Brinkerhoff was against abortion but didn't support the criminalization of it.

The Revolution featured many disparate views, and Anthony's publishing of the paper didn't mean she supported all of those views, Stewart said.

Bottom line: Although many sites attribute the quote to Anthony, Brinkerhoff was the author.

What we're looking at
State Rep. Terri Proud, R-Tucson, used a quote attributed to Susan B. Anthony in a news release advocating for anti-abortion policies.

The ad
Campaign mailer.

Summary of the ad
The mailer touts Water's educational background. It states: "Rae Waters is the only one with the education experience to get the job done!"

The comment
Proud quoted Susan B. Anthony as saying, "I deplore the horrible crime of child murder ... No matter what the motive, love of ease, the woman is awfully guilty who commits the deed ... but oh! Thrice guilty is he who drove her to the desperation which impelled her to the crime."

The forum
Proud's news release issued March 28.

Analysis
The quote appeared in Proud's news release titled "War on Women." In the release, she uses quotes by early feminists Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton to support arguments against abortion.

Proud did not return multiple phone calls from AZ Fact Check.

Controversy surrounds Anthony's stance on abortion, and it's unclear whether she wrote the article that Proud quotes.

The quote is from the article "Marriage and Maternity," which appeared in an 1869 issue of The Revolution, a feminist newspaper for which Anthony acted as publisher.

Historian Ann Gordon and journalist Lynn Sherr wrote an opinion piece for the Washington Post in May 2010 about the "erosion of accuracy in history and journalism" concerning Anthony and her views. Gordon is a professor at Rutgers University who has studied Anthony for 30 years, while Sherr wrote the book "Failure is Impossible: Susan B. Anthony in Her Own Words."

The two claim that The Revolution article can't be conclusively linked to Anthony. While the article "Marriage and Maternity" deplored the "horrible crime of child murder," it is signed anonymously by "A."

Abortion foes portray Anthony's position on abortion inaccurately, Gordon said, because they assume she wrote the article. Anthony only wrote in the paper twice, Gordon said. Both times, Anthony signed as "S.B.A."

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the anti-abortion advocacy group Susan B. Anthony List, responded to Gordon and Sherr in the Washington Post. She wrote that "most logical people" would agree, "writings signed by 'A' in a paper that Anthony funded and published were a reflection of her own opinions."

In an interview, Dannenfelser said Anthony believed abortion was inherently harmful to mothers and children and said Anthony viewed it as an instrument of exploitation that men used on women of the time. She said it's clear that Anthony wrote the piece.

The Revolution featured many disparate views, and Anthony's publishing of the paper didn't mean she supported all those views, said Arizona State University history professor Pamela Stewart.

While the author of The Revolution article wrote about the "horrible crime of child murder," the quote is fragmented in Proud's release.

For context, The Revolution article was a response to a New York Medical Gazelle article advocating for the criminalization of abortion.

The complete first part of the quote from "Marriage and Maternity" is as follows:

"Much as I deplore the horrible crime of child-murder, earnestly as I desire its suppression, I cannot believe with the writer of the above-mentioned article, that such a law would have the desired effect. It seems to me to be only mowing off the top of the noxious weed, while the root remains. We want prevention, not merely punishment."

The article in The Revolution advocated for finding the reason women had abortions and stopping it at its source. The author did not support the criminalization of abortion.

Bottom line: It's unclear whether Anthony wrote "Marriage and Maternity," the article Proud quotes. The piece was signed only by "A."

What we're looking at
State Sen. Paula Aboud, D-Tucson, said there are more women than men in Arizona, and that more women vote than men.

The ad
Campaign mailer.

Summary of the ad
The mailer touts Water's educational background. It states: "Rae Waters is the only one with the education experience to get the job done!"

The comment
"Women are the majority in this state, and they vote more than men vote."

The forum
Statement made during Senate floor debate April 12, 2012, on House Bill 2625, a controversial contraception bill.

Analysis
When she made the statement, Aboud said she wanted the Legislature to be aware of the influence women have on Arizona politics.

House Bill 2625 would allow certain businesses to opt out of providing contraception health-care coverage.

The U.S. Census Bureau tracks the number of men and women of all ages in the country.

As of the 2010 census, there were 3,175,823 males and 3,216,194 women in Arizona. Women make up 50.3 percent of Arizona's population, according to census data.

In addition, women of voting age outnumbered voting-age men in Arizona.

The Census Bureau tracked the number of Arizonans who voted in the November 2010 general election. This is the most recent data AZ Fact Check could locate. According to its data, about 20,000 more women than men voted, 1,095,000 to 1,075,000.

Nationally, the number of female voters has been greater than the number of male voters in each presidential election since 1964, according to a Center for American Women and Politics report.

Bottom line: Both of Aboud's claims are true, according to census data. Women outnumber men in Arizona. And more women in Arizona voted in the November 2010 general election.

What we're looking at
The National Republican Congressional Committee said Ron Barber, the Democratic nominee in Congressional District 8, accepted campaign money from the Sierra Club, which opposes drilling for American oil even though gas prices are more than $4 per gallon in southern Arizona.

The ad
Campaign mailer.

Summary of the ad
The mailer touts Water's educational background. It states: "Rae Waters is the only one with the education experience to get the job done!"

The comment
"Barber's donor list includes the Sierra Club -- a group that opposes drilling and utilizing American energy even with gas prices over $4 a gallon in Southern Arizona."

The forum
E-mail sent to supporters on April 25.

Analysis
The Sierra Club Political Committee donated $500 to Barber's campaign on March 27, according to Federal Election Commission records.

The Sierra Club, an environmental advocate, says it opposes on- and offshore oil drilling when the drilling has the potential to damage the environment.

Average gas prices in southern Arizona began dropping in early April. The week an NRCC spokesman sent the e-mail, no city in the 8th District had an average gas price above $4 per gallon, according to Oil Price Information Service data provided by Arizona AAA. The survey data includes a dozen cities in the district. One, a tiny town called Pearce, had an average price of $3.99.

NRCC spokesman Daniel Scarpinato, who composed and sent the e-mail about Barber, told AZ Fact Check that he couldn't cite an example of a place in southern Arizona where gas prices where over $4, as he wrote in the e-mail.

Bottom line: The Sierra Club, which does oppose most oil drilling, is one of Barber's donors. But gas prices in southern Arizona do not appear to have topped $4.

What we're looking at
Gov. Jan Brewer told a Republic reporter that the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has its rulings overturned by the Supreme Court more than any other circuit court in the country.

The ad
Campaign mailer.

Summary of the ad
The mailer touts Water's educational background. It states: "Rae Waters is the only one with the education experience to get the job done!"

The comment
"The 9th Circuit is the most overturned circuit court in the country."

The forum
An April 19 interview with an Arizona Republic reporter.

Analysis
Brewer made the claim about the court because it ruled that several sections of Senate Bill 1070 were unconstitutional. The Supreme Court heard the case in April and is expected to issue a ruling in the summer.The Supreme Court could overturn all or parts of the 9th Circuit Court's decision.

For the current, yearlong term beginning in October 2011, the court has reversed 14 rulings from the 9th Circuit Court. The court with the second-most reversals has had five cases overturned.

Additionally, the Supreme Court has a history of reversing decisions of the 9th Circuit Court. Between 1999 and 2008, the court overturned 107 of the circuit court's rulings, according to data from the American Bar Association.

The second-highest number of reversals from that period, 45, belonged to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court.

While the court has a history of being the most overturned, University of Pittsburgh law professor Arthur Hellman said that is to be expected.

The 9th Circuit Court is the largest circuit court in the country, with a jurisdiction of about 20 percent of the nation's population, Hellman said. Its jurisdiction includes Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Montana, Alaska and Hawaii.

There are 13 judicial circuits in the United States, each with a court of appeals.

As the largest circuit court, it may be expected that the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals would be overturned the most because the Supreme Court takes on more of its cases than those of any other circuit court.

The rate of reversal for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court also is high. However, it is not the highest among the courts from which the Supreme Court takes cases. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court had a reversal rate of 80 percent between 1999 and 2008, while the Federal Circuit Court had an 83 percent reversal rate, according to data from the American Bar Association.

However, the Federal Circuit had only 18 cases reversed during that period, meaning the number of reversals of the 9th Circuit Court was much higher.

Bottom line: The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has had more of its rulings reversed by the Supreme Court than any other circuit court, so Brewer's statement is true. However, this is somewhat expected as it is the largest circuit court in the country, and the Supreme Court hears more of its cases than those of any other circuit court.

What we're looking at
According to the Susan B. Anthony List, Arizona's House Bill 2800 withdraws funding from abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood.

The ad
Campaign mailer.

Summary of the ad
The mailer touts Water's educational background. It states: "Rae Waters is the only one with the education experience to get the job done!"

The comment
"Tonight, the Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List), a national pro-life organization, announced a major victory with the first enactment of its model legation to defund abortion providers including Planned Parenthood."

The forum
News release e-mailed on May 4.

Analysis
The Washington, D.C.-based Susan B. Anthony List and the Phoenix-based Center for Arizona Policy, organizations opposed to abortion, worked with Rep. Justin Olson, R-Mesa, to propose HB 2800. The Legislature gave the bill final approval on April 24, and Gov. Jan Brewer signed it into law on May 4.

The bill doesn't mention Planned Parenthood, but that is the group it targets. Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider in the state.

According to Planned Parenthood, the only state or federal funds for family planning the group receives come through the state's Medicaid program, called the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, and through federal Title X grants.

The final version of HB 2800, which goes into effect in early August, designates which health-care facilities get priority when it comes to the state doling out public money for family planning. The law defines public money as state, federal or local money and includes federal Title X grants designated for family planning.

Planned Parenthood and other clinics that focus primarily on women's health-care issues would not fall under any of the four categories. It appears that under this portion of the new law, Planned Parenthood would not qualify for any public money the state distributes to health-care providers for family-planning services -- if the state actually distributed money directly to providers.

The law also states that "this state or any political subdivision of this state may not enter into a contract with or make a grant to any person that performs nonfederally qualified abortions or maintains or operates a facility where nonfederally qualified abortions are performed for the provision of family planning services."

Under this portion of the law, it appears the state and AHCCCS could not contract with Planned Parenthood to serve AHCCCS patients -- if the state or AHCCCS actually contracted directly with health-care providers.

Lawmakers have introduced similar legislation in other states, but not in this model pushed by the Susan B. Anthony List. Several states have passed versions of legislation addressing funding of groups such as Planned Parenthood, but several federal district courts have halted measures restricting how states give out Medicaid funds.

In Arizona, the state does not contract directly with Planned Parenthood -- or any other health-care provider -- for either Medicaid services or Title X grants, which means HB 2800 may have no impact at all.

With Title X, the federal government gives money directly to a few private, non-profit organizations that then give it to providers. The state plays no role.

"The money goes directly from the federal government to us," said Brenda Thomas, CEO of the Arizona Family Health Partnership, which oversees some of those grants in Arizona. "The federal government specifies how we do our process, and the state can't intervene."

Because of that, Thomas said, HB 2800 will have no impact on Title X money in Arizona. Planned Parenthood also said it doesn't expect to lose any Title X money under the law.

With AHCCCS, the state contracts with health plans, and the health plans then contract with specific providers like Planned Parenthood. It is unclear whether the new law will restrict those health plans.

Josh Kredit, legislative counsel for the Center for Arizona Policy, said the group believes the new law allows the state to opt out of reimbursing health-care plans that choose to contract with agencies that provide abortions. That would lead to Planned Parenthood losing reimbursements for serving AHCCCS patients, he said.

AHCCCS spokeswoman Monica Coury said her agency is still analyzing the bill and cannot yet say how the state will implement it.

Planned Parenthood said it is waiting to hear from the state.

"The way the language is written, there is no clarity on how it applies, so we are waiting," spokeswoman Cynde Cerf said. "The worst-case scenario is we wouldn't qualify as an AHCCCS provider."

Cerf said Planned Parenthood of Arizona serves about 4,000 AHCCCS patients, who bring in about $400,000 of the agency's $13 million in revenue.

"So it is a misnomer that HB 2800 is defunding us," Cerf said. "What we get from AHCCCS is pretty small compared to our budget as a whole."

Bottom line: Because of the way Title X and Medicaid funds are distributed in Arizona, HB 2800 may not impact Planned Parenthood at all. If the state determines the law can be applied to providers contracted through health-care plans, Planned Parenthood would lose about $400,000 a year. Planned Parenthood said that even if it loses all the money it gets from AHCCCS patients each year, that would not fully "defund" the organization, because that is a small portion of its overall budget.

What we're looking at
Speaker of the House Andy Tobin, R-Paulden, said the fiscal 2013 state budget got more support from legislative Democrats than President Obama's federal budget proposal received from congressional Democrats.

The ad
Campaign mailer.

Summary of the ad
The mailer touts Water's educational background. It states: "Rae Waters is the only one with the education experience to get the job done!"

The comment
"In retrospect, our state budget received more overall Democrat support than President Obama's proposed budget did among Democrats."

The forum
Op-ed e-mailed to media outlets May 2, the day after the Arizona Legislature approved the fiscal 2013 budget.

Analysis
The Arizona Legislature approved the new state budget on May 1. The budget consists of the primary "feed bill" and nine accompanying policy bills.

The main budget bill, Senate Bill 1523, passed, 40-20, in the House and, 21-9, in the Senate. Republicans voted in favor; Democrats and the lone independent voted "no."

Democrats unanimously voted "no" on eight of the nine policy bills. But the health-policy bill, SB 1528, drew one Democratic "yes" vote, from state Rep. Matt Heinz of Tucson.

The budget bills also included restoration of the 50-50 split of employer-employee contributions to state-worker pensions; elimination of a requirement that cities and towns provide 50 percent of the funding for the state Department of Water Resources, and support for an additional appropriation for the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission.

All of those measures received Democratic support as they moved through the process. Only the redistricting appropriation got a final vote of its own (with 25 Democrats supporting it); the other two measures were rolled into the larger budget package and did not draw one Democratic vote.

On the federal level, U.S. Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., on March 28 ran an amendment to House Concurrent Resolution 112 that contained President Obama's budget numbers for fiscal 2013. It failed on a 0-414 vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Mulvaney did not accompany the budget numbers with policy language that would provide details on how the budget would be achieved. That prompted Democrats to vote against it. They complained without the policy specifics, Republicans could achieve the budget numbers using policies Democrats objected to.

The U.S. Senate had earlier announced it would not hold a budget vote, citing last year's work on the deficit-ceiling agreement as effectively setting the budget.

Bottom line: There was Democratic support for some of the policy specifics in the state's GOP-created budget. There was no Democratic support in the U.S. House of Representatives for President Obama's proposal because it lacked policy specifics. Tobin was correct to portray the state budget as getting more Democratic support than the president's plan, but it was not a parallel comparison.

What we're looking at
Democrat Ron Barber, a candidate for the District 8 congressional seat, stated in an online news release that Republican candidate Jesse Kelly has said that he would "phase out," "eliminate," or "privatize" Medicare and Social Security." Barber is a former district director for Gabrielle Giffords and a shop owner. Kelly is a construction project manager and a former Marine who served in Iraq.

The ad
Campaign mailer.

Summary of the ad
The mailer touts Water's educational background. It states: "Rae Waters is the only one with the education experience to get the job done!"

The comment
"Unfortunately, Jesse Kelly has said time and again that he would 'phase out,' 'eliminate,' or 'privatize' Medicare and Social Security."

The forum
News release that was posted on Ron Barber's campaign website May 8, 2012.

Analysis
The news release announced a new Barber ad that attacks Kelly. In the release, Barber says, "I am running for Congress because our seniors deserve someone who will fight for them. Unfortunately, Jesse Kelly has said time and again that he would 'phase out,' 'eliminate,' or 'privatize' Medicare and Social Security."

The 30-second ad that accompanies the news release cited a Dec. 2, 2009, article in Tucson Weekly in which Kelly said he would "love to eliminate" Social Security.

Kelly made the comments when he was running for the same congressional seat, which he narrowly lost in 2010 to three-term Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz. Giffords, who was wounded in a January 2011 assassination attempt at a constituent event near Tucson, resigned in January 2012. The special election is to fill the remainder of her term, which ends in January 2013.

In the article, Kelly was asked if he would eliminate Medicare over time so people would eventually be responsible for taking care of their own health-care bills. He said he would and added, "But to say you're going to do that instantly would be disingenuous and not realistic and not fair to the people who have earned it."

He was also asked if he would eliminate Social Security and Kelly responded, "I would love to eliminate the program. I'd love to take steps to let people opt in and opt out of it. Privatize it."

However, Kelly also says in the same article that he would not eliminate Social Security for people who are currently receiving benefits. He says, "People who are getting Medicare and Social Security right now have earned it, so that's a big problem. They earned it. They worked their tails off their whole lives, so we can't cut it right now. We'd better find ways to reform it and privatize it in the future."

Barber's ad also displayed clips of a July 30, 2010, debate on KUAT-TV to support the assertion that Kelly wants to "phase out" Social Security.

A review of the debate shows that Kelly said, "You have to take steps to reform it, to privatize it, to phase it out."

After a similar ad by Giffords' campaign was released before the Nov. 2, 2010, general election, Kelly said the ad mischaracterized his views by implying that he wants to take away benefits from those who are currently receiving them. He repeatedly said he would not eliminate benefits for current Social Security recipients or anyone 55 or older.

A statement from Kelly on his current campaign website indicates his position has evolved since the 2010 election. He now says he supports "preserving, protecting and strengthening Social Security and Medicare." He is quoted as saying he does not support privatizing, eliminating or phasing out either program and "will fully honor our commitment to current retirees and will not support any plan that impacts their benefits."

Kelly added that he wants to ensure the programs are preserved for future retirees.

Bottom line: The ad quotes Kelly accurately. But Barber presents Kelly's 2010 position in a misleading light by failing to note that he never advocated privatizing or eliminating Medicare or Social Security for current recipients.

What we're looking at
In a news release, the League of United Latin American Citizens said Phoenix's founder was a White man married to a Mexican woman.

The ad
Campaign mailer.

Summary of the ad
The mailer touts Water's educational background. It states: "Rae Waters is the only one with the education experience to get the job done!"

The comment
"In 1868 Phoenix was founded by a white man married to a Mexican woman. They settled in Phoenix looking to build a future after the Mexican-American war ended in 1848."

The forum
Media release sent on May 15, 2012.

Analysis
LULAC sent the release after construction workers unearthed some grave sites and caskets, which may contain the remains of some of Phoenix's earliest settlers, at the site of a Maricopa County jail that is under construction.

Phoenix's founder is widely cited to be Jack Swilling, a Confederate Army veteran who dug the first modern canal leading water from the Salt River into what is now Phoenix. He was born in South Carolina, according to Republic reports.

While the city of Phoenix's history website says the city was founded in 1868 and Jack Swilling was "one of the founders of Phoenix," the page does not mention Swilling's wife.

But many other sources have pointed to a Mexican woman, Trinidad Escalante, as Swilling's spouse. These include a report in the Arizona Memory Project, an online effort to put Arizona history on the Internet, as well as a 1925 article in The Arizona Republican reporting her death.

In the obituary, the paper said Escalante was born in Hermosillo, Sonora. She married Swilling in 1864 at the age of 17 during a ceremony in Tucson. Trinidad survived Swilling, who died in the late 1800s of complications of his dependency on narcotics and alcohol. Trinidad lived to be 78. The Arizona Republican article says that she was "one of the best-known pioneer figures of the Salt River Valley."

Bottom line: Several historical sources cite Jack Swilling as Phoenix's founder. Several sources also confirm that he married Trinidad Escalante, who was born in Mexico, after the Mexican War and before his founding of the city.

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AZ Fact Check: Keeping Arizona Honest

AZ Fact Check is a service of The Arizona Republic, 12 News and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. It is not affiliated with www.FactCheck.org, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.